Spoleto will move into the Paradise City Tavern Building at 1 Bridge St.

File photo | The RepublicanSpoleto is moving out of its longtime spot at 15 Main St.

NORTHAMPTON -- Carpenters, painters and electricians were hustling about the former Paradise City Tavern Thursday, trying hard to convert the place into Spoleto for the restaurant’s opening gala next Tuesday.

Stainless steel pieces of ovens and hoods lay about the floor in the kitchen. In the dining area booths faced every which way, like bumper cars at the end of a ride. The place smelled of paint.

For owner Claudio Guerra, this was all good. Guerra could see what a visitor could only imagine: a newer, cozier Spoleto with brickwork inside and out and two new windows behind the bar giving the restaurant an airier feel.

“With the restaurant, the most important thing is the vibe,” Guerra said, then corrected himself. “There are three things -- the food, the service and the vibe.”

For years, Guerra had all three at his 50 Main St. location, but changing economic times made the old Spoleto feel too big on a slow night. After 20 years, he decided to move down the street to Paradise City Tavern, a bar he owns at 1 Bridge St. Although it will keep its selection of beers, Paradise City Tavern will be no more, ceding to Spoleto and its selection of Italian food. The 110 seating capacity will be about a third less than at the 50 Main St. site. More importantly, Guerra owns 1 Bridge St. and won’t have to pay rent to another landlord, as he did up the street.

The Sept. 4 grand opening of the new Spoleto is a $50 per person affair that will feature an open bar, a buffet and an up-close look at the new digs. Many regulars have already signed up, Guerra said. He expects about 100 people.

“We want to kick it off on the right foot,” he said.

It will take Guerra some time to fully tap the potential of the new Spoleto. He’s fixing up a downstairs dining room that can seat 24 people for private functions. Next year he hopes to build an outdoor patio with seating and perhaps plant an herb garden.

Because he already had a liquor license for Paradise City Tavern, Guerra was able to sell the Spoleto license to restaurateur Michael Ladden, who operates bars and restaurants in Connecticut. Guerra said Ladden plans to open a bar/restaurant in Northampton called McLadden’s, but he does not know the proposed location.